This invention is directed to a radio receiver protection arrangement which is capable of protecting the receiver from RF overloads at the aerial terminal, such as may be experienced, for example, when receivers are operated in close proximity to transmitters.
The problem of protecting receivers from damagingly-high inputs from nearby transmitters is not a new one, and the situation worsened with the introduction of receivers employing transistors as the active elements. It is known that damage can be caused to a receiver whether the receiver is operating or not, so that a successful protection arrangement must function satisfactorily in either case.
The Applicant is aware of several earlier attempts to provide the kind of protection required, but all the earlier arrangements of which he is aware are in his opinion unsatisfactory to some degree and do not afford the complete and certain protection required today.
One object of this invention is to provide a radio receiver protection arrangement which provides swift and sure protection for a receiver in all situations. A further object of this invention is to provide a radio receiver protection arrangement of improved performance which is completely passive in the sense that no power supply is required, all the energy required to operate the arrangement being derived from a potentially damaging voltage and/or current overload at the input of the protected receiver.